Archive for May, 2012

2012 Manitou Dorado Pro
The Dorado MRD was a huge success – for Manitou and for the world – class athletes who got to ride one. This year, we are happy to introduce the Dorado Pro – an exact replica of the Dorado MRD, but with aluminium legs instead of the Dorado MRD’s carbon fiber legs. Everything else is the same – the dual-chamber air spring, the TPC+ damper, the hydraulic top-out and bottom-out circuits, and the unsurpassed performance.

Travel: 180 and 203mm

Chassis: Aluminium legs and crowns w/Aluminum Steerer

Spring: Dual-chamber air

Hub interface: 20mm HexLock™

Damper: TPC+

Colour: All black Ano

Weight: 6.55lbs

2012 Manitou Circus Comp
Do you remember first grade when the Circus came to town and you attended it as a field trip? There was always some excitement until the clowns came up into the audience and you freaked out. Well get your freak on kids, because here comes the Circus!

Hex-Lock is Manitou’s proprietary thru-axle technology for riders who demand uncompromised steering precision. The hexagonal ends of the Hex-Lock axle resist twisting forces and lock lower legs in place for unsurpassed stiffness. Hex-Lock is compatible with standard 20mm hubs and parts.

Weight in Lbs / Grams: 5.32 / 2413 (80mm) w/Aluminum Steerer

Travel: 80, 100 Internally Adj

Spring: Coil

Spring Rate: Firm

Bottom Out: Dual Bottom-Outs (1 / Leg)

Steerer: 1 1/8″ Steel

Crown: Forged I-Beam Crown

Crown Finish: Black Ano

Offset: 41.27

Compression Damping: Absolute w/ Jump Stack

Rebound Damping: Adjustable TPC

Adjustments: Mech. Preload, Compression to Lockout, Rebound

Leg Diameter: 32mm

Leg Material: 4130 Chromolly Steel

Wheel Size: 26”

Brake Mount: PM 6”

Axle: 20mm Hex TA

Crown to Axle: 458/478

Colour: White

2012 Manitou Marvel Expert
When you name a fork Marvel, the fork better be marvellous. Manitou did not disappoint with this fork. At 120mm of travel, this fork is a fierce fighter in the XC/ light trail category. Put this on your high end XC frame and be amazed at the difference it will make. Manitou did not just want to make an excellent fork; they wanted to make a statement to the rest of the industry. Not only are bike frames changing but components including forks are too. You’ll notice some striking architectural features on the Marvel including the crown design.

Weight Lbs / Grams: 3.4Lbs / 1543g (100mm)

Travel: 100, 120

Spring: ISO Air

Bottom Out: Rubber Bumper

Steerer: 1.5 Tapered

Crown: New I-Beam Crown

Offset: 41.27

Compression Damping: TPC Technology, Absolute (in leg)

Rebound Damping: Adjustable TPC

Adjustments: Air, Compression to Lockout, Rebound

Leg Diameter: 32mm

Leg Material: 7050 butted AL

Wheel Size: 26”

Brake Mount: PM 6”

Axle: QR15mm Hex

Crown to Axle: 470 / 490

Colour: Black

2012 Manitou Minute Expert
A great fork communicates everything that’s happening between your tire and the trail, without jarring loose any expensive dental work. In the past, though, you had to accept a weight penalty in order to gain rock-solid steering. The Minute is here to change all that with its ultra-stiff 32mm stanchions, MARS Air spring, and available Hex Lock thru-axle. Forget about noodly XC forks and heavy trail forks. It’s time for a Minute.

Weight: 1906g

Travel: 80mm, 100mm, 130mm

Spring: ACT Air

Spring Rate: Medium

Bottom Out: Rubber bumper

Steerer: 1.1/8” steel

Crown: Forged I-Beam Crown

Crown Finish: Black Ano

Offset: 41.27

Compression Damping: TPC Technology Absolute

Adjustments: Air, Compression to Lockout, Rebound

Leg Diameter: 32mm

Leg Material: 7050 straight wall AL

Wheel Size: 26”

Brake Mount: PM 6”

Axle: 9mm

Crown to Axle: 458 / 479 / 508

Colour: Black

2012 Manitou Minute Pro
A great fork communicates everything that’s happening between your tire and the trail, without jarring loose any expensive dental work. In the past, though, you had to accept a weight penalty in order to gain rock-solid steering. The Minute is here to change all that with its ultra-stiff 32mm stanchions, MARS Air spring, and available Hex Lock thru-axle. Forget about noodly XC forks and heavy trail forks. It’s time for a Minute.

Pivot’s ultra-versatile Mach 5.7 is now available in a carbon frame version to boost its all-rounder ability even further. A great ride and impressive weight make it an awesome bike.

Ride & handling: An absolute blast, whatever you’re asking it to do

Nudging towards 6in of travel (the Pivot has 145mm/5.7in) normally means a compromise between pedalling feel and acceleration response, but the Pivot drives remarkably well. In granny gear, stand up charges or churning through soft, deep gravel there was no obvious bounce or power loss, and there was just enough traction-enhancing pedal lift to claw us up the steeps or charge out of corners.

With a complete bike weight in Shimano XT based trail trim of 11.9kg (26.3lb), there’s little for gravity to grab hold of either. The Kashima coated Fox shock and DW-Link suspension design work superbly together – plush enough to keep the ride communicative without ever feeling dead or dull at any point in the stroke, and the Mach 5.7 not only handled every potential suspension-shaming situation, but also created skill-ﬂattering speed out of every challenge.

The bottom bracket looks low on paper but the consistently crisp and pert ride height makes it less of an issue than you’d think on the trail, and it’s stable enough to slide the tyres sideways without worry. While the Mach 5.7 doesn’t let you pop its front wheel as easily as more rider-responsive suspension designs, compact sizing means it’s a great bike to move about on and use your bodyweight.

Top this blank-canvas ‘ride what you want, how you want’ character with an accurate, twist-free tapered front and screw-through axle rear, and the new Mach 5.7 is an absolute blast whatever you’re asking it to do. The scope to make it a lightweight trail bike or a longer travel skill stretcher makes it supremely versatile too.

Frame: Lightweight and stiff carbon chassis

At 2.36kg (5.2lb) with shock, frame-only weight is 200g less than the already lightweight alloy version. The Hollow Box high internal compression construction gives signiﬁcant stiffness increases, and there’s minimal ﬂex from the tapered head tube right through to the 142x12mm screw-axle rear.

The 92mm wide press-ﬁt bottom bracket allows for better bearing support, and the dropper seatpost cable guides and post mount brakes make setup easy. Rubberised leather frame protectors on the rear stays and down tube reduce noise and chip damage, with a retroﬁt ISCG mount due to be available by next spring.

The Pivot Carbon will come to the UK as a frame-only deal, but there are some bits worth commenting on here. For a start, while XT works great you could deﬁnitely save some weight by spending more or choosing SRAM. The 5.7 is begging for a wider handlebar than the relatively narrow FSA SLK too.

Binary Bike wrote: To kick off our blog, we slaved away on this Transition TR250 build video. But after all that work, we’re not sure what to call it. Any ideas? Submit a name idea in the comments section to be entered into a drawing for a shiny new Transition Trail-or-Park frame. Increase your odds by liking us on Facebook and by sharing the video on Facebook and Twitter. Check out binarybike.com to see how we made the video.